The evening will center around the Kings&r squo\; newest work\, "What Is My Legacy\," an inspiring exploration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles of equality\, justice\, and hope\, an d how they resonate in today&rsquo\;s world.
\nLegacy Architects and co-authors Marc Kielburger and Craig Kielburger join the conversation as the panel explores how all of us live our legacy everyday\, through action s big and small.
\nThis event is made possible in part by the ge nerous support of the DC Public Library Foundation. \;
\nTo heal a world in crisis\, we must rethink &ldquo\;legacy&rdquo\;- and commit to something bigger th an ourselves
\nFrom the time he was born\, Martin Luther King III ha s carried the weight of his father&rsquo\;s legacy-and his dream of a Belo ved Community built on justice\, love and equal rights for all. Today in a world burdened by histories of violence\, oppression\, racism\, poverty\, fear and disconnectedness\, that dream seems more remote than ever.
\nIn answer to these challenges\, Martin has teamed up with his wife and fellow activist Arndrea Waters King and legacy architects Marc Kielburger and Craig Kielburger to find a new way forward. Drawing on breakthroughs i n neuroscience\, psychology\, epigenetics and their own lived experiences\ , they have created a groundbreaking new framework called Living Legacy.&n bsp\;
\nIt&rsquo\;s based on the simple but profound recognition tha t our small day-to-day actions create legacies that have the power to tran sform\, uplift and unite us all. It&rsquo\;s time to reevaluate\, recogniz e\, and reclaim those legacies. Living Legacy invites us to live our best lives and live larger than ourselves - and in doing so\, discover the most sought after yet elusive state of being fulfilled.
\nIn conjunction with the Realize the Dream Campaign\, What is My Legacy? Kicks off an ess ential conversation on how to best refocus our individual stories to achie ve collective change Featuring never-been-told stories from the King famil y and contributions from celebrity and though leaders-including His Holine ss the Dali Lama\, Jay Shetty\, Julia Roberts\, Yara Shahidi\, Reverend Al Sharpton and Dr. Sanjay Gupta - it&rsquo\;s an extraordinary road map for finding genuine connection\, bringing us closer to Dr. King&rsquo\;s drea m of a Beloved Community.
\nFrom four visionary leaders who have ded icated their lives to making a difference. Martin Luther King III\, Arndre a Waters King\, Marc Kielbirger and Craig Kielburger comes a reimagined fr amework for legacy\, one that builds connection\, love and fulfillment by living your legacy every day.
\nMarti n Luther King Jr. III
\n
Civil rights advocate and global humanitarian Martin
Luther King III is shepherding the healing of our nation and the world\, c
onnecting the important lessons of the past with the critical needs of our
future and motivating a new generation of authentic leaders.
As t he oldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scot t King\, Martin Luther King III is a thought leader on the world stage\, a peace maker\, and a negotiator on some of today&rsquo\;s most critical na tional and international platforms for social change. Amplifying the work of his father\, Mr. King has devoted his life to promoting global human ri ghts and eradicating racism\, violence\, and poverty &mdash\; referred to by his father as the &ldquo\;triple evils&rdquo\; and the &ldquo\;scourges of humankind&rdquo\; &mdash\; on every continent except Antarctica.
\n&ldquo\;I go to schools and ask kids what they are worried about\, and too often\, they say they are worried that someone will come into their sc hool and shoot them\,&rdquo\; Mr. King says. &ldquo\;We must focus on erad icating violence &mdash\; not teaching our children to cope with it.&rdquo \;
\nHaving been arrested in peaceful protests more than a dozen tim es\, Mr. King&rsquo\;s actions demonstrate his commitment to serving as an ambassador of social change. &ldquo\;Society has embraced a culture of vi olence\,&rdquo\; he says\, &ldquo\;but today&rsquo\;s real leaders must th ink about how to create a culture of non-violence because our culture cann ot sustain itself if we continue to operate this way.&rdquo\; An experienc ed and respected international statesman who has consulted with numerous h eads of state and governments\, his dedication to implementing strategic\, nonviolent solutions to stop the rise of social\, political\, and economi c injustice has built his reputation as one of the world&rsquo\;s most pas sionate advocates for the poor and oppressed. \;
\nWith the past year&rsquo\;s astounding display of social injustice and violence\, perha ps at no other time in recent history has our world needed the clear think ing and solutions-oriented voice of Mr. King. In August 2020\, on the anni versary of his father&rsquo\;s iconic &ldquo\;I Have a Dream&rdquo\; speec h and in response to the Memorial Day death of George Floyd\, Mr. King add ressed thousands from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the &ldquo\ ;Get Your Knee Off Our Necks&rdquo\; March On Washington\, urging the peop le who had traveled from across the country to continue Martin Luther King Jr.&rsquo\;s pursuit of racial equality.
\nIn August 2021\, the 58t h anniversary of that same speech\, Martin\, his wife\, Arndrea Waters Kin g\, and their daughter\, Yolanda Renee King\, were the face of a national movement to demand federal action on voting rights legislation - leading m arches all across the country\, including Washington\, DC. In January 2022 \, building on the powerful slate of grassroots partners\, Martin and Arnd rea took to the streets of Washington\, once again\, to call on Congress t o act to protect the sacred right to vote\, joining with nearly 100 partne r organizations and members of the faith-based community.
\nIn his t rademark logical approach to problem-solving\, Mr. King raises the public discourse on social issues and challenges us all to do better. &ldquo\;If we can live a day in peace\, why can&rsquo\;t we live a week in peace? If we can live a week in peace\, why can&rsquo\;t we live a month? If we can live a month\, why not a year? And if we can achieve a year\, why not a li fetime?&rdquo\;
\nMost recently\, Martin and Arndrea have taken over leadership of the Drum Major Institute\, a nonprofit organization started over 60 years ago. The Drum Major Institute has built a reputation advanc ing the core mission and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. With a focus on continuing the King legacy through education\, action\, engagement wit h world leaders\, and collaboration with socially conscious organizations\ , the work of the Drum Major Institute is as important today as it was the n\, inspiring each individual to embrace their unique contribution to peac e\, justice\, and equity for all through common-sense solutions to our mos t pressing problems.
\nAfter successfully re-launching the Drum Majo r Institute\, Martin and Arndrea set out to empower Black and Brown organi zers to mobilize ahead of the 2024 election. With 40 organizations now fun ded in the initial round of grants\, the Drum Major Coalition has set an a mbitious goal of raising and investing $100 million in mobilization effort s ahead as the 2024 election approaches.
\nArndrea Waters Ki ng
\n
Arnd
rea Waters King has dedicated herself to public service as a passionate le
ader in the global fight against inequity\, injustice\, hate crimes\, and
all forms of pain. Throughout her life\, Arndrea has consistently worked o
n behalf of those who have been marginalized by helping them find &mdash\;
and collectively use &mdash\; their voices for change.
Arndrea is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta. Soon after graduation she join ed the Center for Democratic Renewal\, an organization founded and headed by Dr. C.T. Vivian\, a lieutenant of Dr. Martin Luther King\, Jr. During h er tenure\, Arndrea organized the first National Conference on Hate Crimes and Hate Violence with over 100 national partners.
\nShe played a k ey role in mobilizing the Georgia Hate Crimes Act and prepared major repor ts and publications\, including the landmark &ldquo\;When Hate Comes to To wn: Faith Based Edition.&rdquo\; Arndrea also helped organize marches and rallies that led to the building of a major multiracial collaboration know n as the Southern Coalition Against Racism and Bigotry.
\nIn 2006\, Arndrea married Martin Luther King III. Together\, they have championed se veral nonviolence and social change initiatives\, designing programs to ad vance understanding and activism. Arndrea is a strong supporter of youth a ctivism and believes in helping young people take a peaceful\, effective s tand for the world issues that concern them most.
\nArndrea was inst rumental in the partnership with JP Morgan Chase to restore\, preserve\, a nd digitize the archives of the King Center. Her support for the Atlanta c ommunity includes serving as a board member on the Historic District Devel opment Committee and the Atlanta International School.
\nCurrently\, as president of the Drum Major Institute (DMI)\, Arndrea plays a critical role in creating strategic partnerships and managing the daily operations of this active social justice organization. A nonprofit founded over 60 y ears ago\, the Drum Major Institute has provided Arndrea a platform from w hich to contribute to the Kingian legacy and encourage individuals to embr ace their unique contribution to peace\, justice\, and equity for all.
\nAs the leader of DMI\, Arndrea has spearheaded the effort to organize tens of thousands of activists and more than 100 partner organizations to March on Washington in support of federal voting rights legislation. Her efforts garnered national attention and activated an untapped grassroots p owerhouse that is using their collective voice to demand action in Washing ton in the wake of disastrous laws passed by states that restrict voting r ights. \;
\nExpanding on the King Family legacy\, Arndrea and he r husband Martin have recently taken on the key role in fundraising for Bl ack and Brown organizers across the country via their celebrity co-founded \, small-dollar campaign Give Us The Ballot and their network of influenti al allies\, the Drum Major Coalition. \; In August\, Arndrea and Marti n announced that the Coalition was launch an aggressive investment in 40 n ational groups that promote freedom\, justice and equality. Under her lead ership\, the organization plans to invest $100 million by 2024. \;
\nLaura Coates\, Moderator
\n
Laura Coates is CNN&rsquo\;s chief legal analyst and anch
or of Laura Coates Live\, airing weeknights at 11pmET. The show showcases
the day&rsquo\;s most interesting stories with smart\, provocative\, and t
houghtful analysis\, while leveraging Coates&rsquo\; significant experienc
e as a prosecutor and relentless pursuit of the facts. At the intersection
between law\, politics and pop culture\, the high energy show takes the n
ews viewers have already heard and helps them to truly understand it.
Emmy nominated Coates joined CNN in 2016 and plays a central role in t he network&rsquo\;s extensive legal programming\, as well as having a prom inent role in major news moments\, including CNN&rsquo\;s coverage of the Supreme Court&rsquo\;s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade\, the January 6th hearings and the two impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump\, host ing a special entitled White House in Crisis: The Impeachment Inquiry. She routinely covers high-profile criminal prosecutions\, including the trial of Alex Murdaugh and former police officer Derek Chauvin.
\nCoates is also the host of the award-winning daily &ldquo\;The Laura Coates Show& rdquo\; on SiriusXM&rsquo\;s bipartisan P.O.T.U.S. channel where she inter views world leaders and politicians from both sides of the aisle and engag es the audience with a lively discussion on the intersection of politics a nd the law.
\nCoates has authored two books\, You Have the Right: A Constitutional Guide to Policing the Police and New York Times bestseller Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor&rsquo\;s Fight For Fairness.
\nA na tive of Saint Paul\, Minnesota\, Coates graduated from Princeton Universit y&rsquo\;s School of Public and International Affairs and the University o f Minnesota Law School\, where she serves on the Board of Advisors\, befor e beginning her legal career in private practice.
\nShe practiced la w in Minnesota and New York handling cases ranging from intellectual prope rty litigation and First Amendment issues to defamation and media law. Cal led to public service\, she transitioned from private practice to the Unit ed States Department of Justice\, thriving as a federal prosecutor. She se rved as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice during the Bush and Obama administrations\, specializing in the e nforcement of voting rights throughout the country. \;
\nShe als o served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columb ia\, prosecuting a myriad of violent felony offenses including drug traffi cking\, armed offenses\, domestic violence\, child abuse\, and sexual assa ult.
\nShe and her husband live in Washington\, D.C. with their two young children. You can find her on social media at @thelauracoates.
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The DC Public Li
brary Foundation partners with the DC Public Library to enhance Washington
\, D.C.&rsquo\;s public libraries\, bringing private philanthropy together
with government support to ensure that our libraries deliver the highest
quality of service to the District&rsquo\;s residents. With the help of ma
ny generous people\, the Foundation provides educational programs for chil
dren and youth\, workforce development training\, cultural events\, and co
llection enhancements for D.C.&rsquo\;s libraries.